This last weekend I participated in my first organized road bike trip called the
ULCER It's a century bicycle ride around Utah Lake, although you can ride 24, 56, 74, or 105 miles. We took the 50 mile trail. We started bright and early at 7:30am and finished in the heat of the day at 12:30pm. Now don't be thinking, "Dang, you rode slow. It took you 5 hours to go 50 miles!". That statement is completely untrue and I'll explain why. We took a total of 2 long breaks where we were able to chat with other riders (over 1,000 people participated), and gorge ourselves on delicious foods such as cantaloupe, bananas, candy, watered down poweraid, bagels and cream cheese, oranges, Cliff bars and more candy. So clearly we weren't going only 10mph, we were in fact going almost 14mph. Now, before you say, "That's almost as bad as going 10mph! I bet people were speeding past you at 20mph leaving you in the dust". Unfortunately that thought would be accurate, but Levi is a good man and he stuck with his slow wife the entire way. This has been an incredible accomplishment for this out of shape girl. I started riding my first road bicycle only 5 weeks ago.
Imagine this, the year is 2003 and it's late in December. Levi has been day dreaming of warmer weather and imagining the ultimate bicycle ride with his sweetheart. He's shy at mentioning this, afraid that his sweetheart will laugh and refuse to consider bicycling 100 miles around Utah Lake. He was right in thinking this. So in the most charming voice he can muster, he says, "Mel, do you know what would be so fun?", I reply with, "Yeah, living on the beach somewhere warm and eating hotdogs and snorkeling shipwrecks". This comment catches him off guard and he hesitates for a moment. "Well, yes, but what about a bicycle ride together around Utah Lake, it's only 100 miles. We would have fun together". I look at him with terror written across my face and think to myself, is he kidding? I wonder what he thought of my hotdog idea?
This was my first introduction to the notion of riding such unseemly distances on a bicycle with a hard seat.
It's interesting how someone can talk about something so much that it actually begins to sound fun to you. This is what happened to me. My feelings of terror changed to excitement as we daydreamed of this adventure together. Several weeks after we were married I constantly reminded Levi that we were running low on time to get ready for the ULCER ride. At this he was thrilled and we picked out a beautiful blue road bike for me (they didn't have a pink one). It's a very light frame and I can lift it with one hand. Perfect for a beginner like me. We rode 10 miles that first time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I quickly realized that my new expensive road bike is very different from riding a low quality, hybrid, $40. Walmart bicycle (which I had been riding for the last 10 years). The first shock was that my new tires are very slim, and rather intimidating at first. I was constantly afraid the tires would disappear completely as they're so thin. The new handle bars can be held in 20 different places (unlike the previous bikes where hands settle nicely next to the red tassels). If you get tired of one position, just move your hands anywhere. The handle is so accommodating. Of course, the seat isn't cushy or shaped like a banana. Despite all these new changes, I instantly fell in love with my new bike. Suddenly I could climb hills without stopping, zip down roads and hills at 20+mph, take long trips without being too sore to walk the next day. Ride 3 miles to work in only a few minutes (compared to 25 minutes on my old bike because of all the stops I made to catch my breath). The bicycling experience had changed completely.
Now as I look back at the 50 mile accomplishment, I grow excited to see if this lazy boned girl can actually build her muscle strength up to successfully ride 100 miles at the good ol' average speed of 20mph.
Wish me luck!
